Method for applying liquid nonaberrant NH3 in deep bands for agricultural crops using a process of direct high pressure injection

ABSTRACT

A method of applying liquid anhydrous ammonia to soil is disclosed as including the step of pressurizing anhydrous ammonia received from a source. The pressurized anhydrous ammonia is conducted to a plurality of terminal outlets, wherein each of the outlets is configured to maintain a back pressure and thereby the liquid state of the anhydrous ammonia. The anhydrous ammonia is discharged from the plurality of terminal outlets to thereby contact the soil.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 09/173,442filed Oct. 14, 1998, which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the accurate application of NH3 onagricultural fields.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

NH3 or anhydrous ammonia is a low cost and a physically difficultmaterial to comprehend. It is out of sight and out of mind and seldomunderstood. The pressure increasing direct injection system requiresreverse thinking for the designer and user. The new method andapplication system applies NH3 without freezing the fines. This isopposite the old pressure reducing system since the unfrozen or meltedlines mean no NH3 is being applied. In fact a frozen line on the newpressure increasing system is the visual indication of a partiallyplugged line.

Anhydrous ammonia expands almost 100 times its stored volume as a gas.When it boils at −28 degrees F approximately 85% remains liquid and thebalance is given off as a gas. Yet it looks like water when observed inits liquid state. NH3 has a flow resistance of 0.85 X's water. NH3superheats when combined with water to form aqueous ammonia at 24%nitrogen. A tremendous amount of heat is given off when NH3 converts toNH4 and thus vapor is often observed on high humidity days. This vaporis quite insignificant and is said to be less than 0.01% (100 PPM) ofthe material applied with the NH3 applicator. NH3 is lighter than airand has a specific gravity of 0.590 as a gas and a specific gravity of0.662 as a liquid.

The NH3 molecule becomes NH4 by attracting the hydrogen atom from theH20 molecule producing beat and releasing hydrogen and oxygen back intothe atmosphere. By weight NH3 is 82.5% nitrogen as applied into thesoil. This is the highest analysis of any commercial fertilizer. Thematerial is the source for other types of fertilizer whether liquid ordry. It is the most economical material to transport from the naturalgas production fields of the world.

NH3 is also used as a refrigerant as it is highly compressible and lowcost. Most of the ice found at grocery stores comes from centrallylocated ice companies that use compressors and NH3 as the refrigerant.

Small doses of the material are medicinally used to revive theunconscious person. However, the material is lethal and can maim anyonewho comes in contact with the material. Safety concerns are welldocumented and goggles, protective clothing, gloves and water aremandatory when working with the material.

Anhydrous ammonia or NH3 has been widespread use in agricultural cropproduction since the early 1950's. NH3 was initially priced quite lowand by the 1960's was adapted so broadly that it became a majorcomponent in the cost of production for all major cereal crops. Theprice of the material dropped to 2 to 3 cents per lb. of Nitrogen in1963 and 64 as several new plants went on line utilizing traincompressors. This new technology was so efficient that the cost ofproducing NH3 was reduced to all time lows. The NH3 production plants,which typically produced 250 tons per day, were now capable of up to1,500 tons per day. Thus a significant oversupply occurred. Today theindustry contributes up $2 billion annually to the economy. No newplants are under construction due to high initial cost of erection andstartup. Most NH3 plants are simply upgraded to improve efficiency.Almost all NH3 plants operating today use train compressors developed byKellogg Corporation.

NH3 is priced at about {fraction (1/2+L )} the cost of the liquid anddry sources of nitrogen. Commercial fertilizer manufacturers utilize NH3as a base material to build urea, ammonium nitrate, ammoniatedphosphate, and ammonium sulfate. Utilizing NH3 as the primary source ofnitrogen results in the lowest cost of production historically.

Approximately 85% of the NH3 is consumed in the Midwestern cornbelt at4,000,000 tons annually. The Pacific states consume about 220,000 tonsannually.

Terms

Nonaberrant: No boiling or expansion of the material from the liquidpressurized state to the gaseous pressurized state. This wandering orerrant flow is difficult to meter and the NH3 gas will flow in anirregular path. Previous pressure reducing systems have aberrant flow.

Transitional flow: At a given pressure and temperature NH3 will begin toconvert from a liquid state to a gas state. This will occur whendistribution or injection line pressure begins to drop below tankpressure. The pressure increasing system of direct injection deniestransitional flow. Pressure reducing systems common to the fertilizersystems of today allow transitional flow to occur immediately after themetering pump, the pressure reducing valve, or the meter.

Tank pressure: The pressure observed at the NH3 pressure vessel or thetank varies with the ambient temperature.

Predictable Tank Pressures At Ambient (Vapor Transfer) −28F 0.0 psi TankPressure 0 15.7 psi 32 47.6 psi 42 50.0 psi 50 75.0 psi 60 92.9 psi 68110.0 psi 77 130.0 psi 100 197.2 psi

Manifold Pressure: The pressure observed in the distribution cavity ofthe manifold. Pressure reducing systems always have manifold pressuresbelow the tank pressure. The new direct injection pressure increasingsystem meters NH3 very accurately at the manifold since the manifoldpressure is below the tank pressure, at the tank pressure or above thetank pressure at normal seeding speed.

Line Pressure: Varies significantly with pressure reducing systems andline pressure is lower than manifold pressure due to expansion of NH3 inthe oversized lines. This is primarily due to the extra volume found inthe lines. Thus external freezing of the lines is observed since linepressure is below tank pressure. The lines accumulate dew. The lines areoperating well below freezing to −28 degrees F. The unique pressureincreasing system has line pressures at or above tank pressure and thelines do not freeze or collect frozen dew.

Terminal Expansion Point: Ideally is located at the point of injectionof the material into the ground. A final orifice located at this pointallows for precise metering and uneven line lengths. Pressures areelevated above tank pressure at this injection point allowing for asolid non-gaseous stream flow and less vaporization. Pressure reducingsystems require equal line lengths. The final injection point withpressure reducing systems is about 15% NH3 gas and 85% is a nonuniformNH3 liquid since injection pressure is well below vapor or tankpressure.

In Line Orifice or Range Orifice: The range orifice is located after themanifold and is inserted into the injection line at the high-pressureadapter. This orifice is selected by picking the maximum rate in theband at the maximum ground speed. For maximum accuracy line lengths mustbe equal if no terminal expansion orifice is used. This system set up iseasier to use for changing orifices but it does have some aberrant flowif the terminal expansion orifice is not used. However, temperature dropis seldom significant enough to observe line freezing or dewaccumulation.

Terminal Injection Orifice: The orifice is located at the end of thesmall inside diameter black nylon line by inserting it into the line andclamping it with a stainless steel compression clamp. The terminalinjection orifice is designed to allow for a solid stream flow. Unequalline lengths can be used. Port to port variance can be a little as 1% ifprecision calibrated orifices are used. The range orifice is notrequired, but should be utilized to support the high pressure clampingaspect of the ferrule. Terminal expansion orifices can be utilized asrange orifices. The terminal expansion orifices can also be sized onesize larger than the range orifices which allows stream particulateescapes to plug the smaller range orifice which is more serviceable atthe manifold. The range orifices and terminal expansion orifices areidentical by design. Only the location of the part is different.

The orifices are selected by (1) Band spacing, (2) Ground speed, (3)above tank pressure desired at application speed, (4) Gallons per acreto be applied. Generally speaking once the correct orifice size has beenselected it will not be necessary to change orifices due to the widerange of operating pressures.

Distribution Manifold: A captious component in the regulation of NH3 isthe manifold. The pressure increasing direct injection manifold isdesigned with a minimum volume for a quick site specific, variable rate,GPS response and to prevent aberrant flow. The manifold is mounted at ornear the pump so that the material is instantly placed in the soil. Thesystem stores very little material and this feature is critical toprevent gassing at corners and start and stop response with theapplicator.

Accumulator: The accumulator is critical to prevent aberrant flow sincethe pump is delivering liquid NH3 in metered surges. This means that thepressure increases and decreases during each revolution and the pumppiston never travels at the same speed. A nitrogen spring or accumulatoracts as a flywheel, storing energy and the giving it back to the system.This means that the accumulator piston moves up and down with each pumprevolution. As pressure increases the accumulator piston moves up. Assystem pressure drops the accumulator piston moves down. The accumulatorpiston does not move when the system pressure is below the presetnitrogen charge in the accumulator gas charge chamber.

Accumulator Pressure Settings: The accumulator is charged with nitrogengas. The accumulator is charged to {fraction (1/2+L )} the maximumsystem operating pressure. The accumulator can also be charged at thetank pressure or {fraction (1/2+L )} to {fraction (2/3+L )} of the tankpressure. If rates are being adjusted constantly with a variable rate,site specific, GPS system charge the accumulator at {fraction (1/2+L )}tank pressure. The manifold NH3 pressure gauge should be steady (5 psimovement) at normal application speed. Pressure reducing NH3 systems donot use an accumulator.

Safety Shield: The shield slides up and down on the accumulator tiebolts. The shield contains and protects liquid NH3 from beinghaphazardly sprayed on the machine or operators if the line adapterassemblies are improperly installed when orifices are inspected orchanged. Pressure reducing systems do not use a safety shield.

Maximum Design Pressures:

Black nylon line N11, .138 d 500 psi operating, 2,000 psi burst 316 Lstainless steel fittings 2,000 psi operating Terminal expansion orifice800 psi operating Accumulator maximum charge 200 psi operating, 2,000psi burst Pump system relief valve 300 psi operating

Pressure reducing systems use translucent EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate)lines at the manifold distribution point that are rated at 75 psi.Pressure reducing systems must meet the pressure standards set byvarious states prior to the pressure reducing valve. The supply linesmust have a 300-psi operating pressure rating as specified by the Stateof Indiana.

System Filters: The new pressure increasing system has two filters. Thesystem primary filter is located prior to the pump. The screen isnormally 100 mesh. A second 100 mesh final safety filter is installedafter the pump and prior to the manifold to catch any failed parts orrust that may have collected in the pump during storage or pump service.

System Relief Valve: When operating at high ambient temperatures, above80 degrees F, or with a remote mounted manifold utilizing an on/offGromo™ valve. It is recommended that two 300-psi relief valves beinstalled to protect the pump.

The Pump: The Dempster® E-5 and E-6 positive displacement pumps havebeen developed. The pumps are positive displacement and are uniquelydifferent from previous pressure reducing pumps. Several recentimprovements have been incorporated into the pump to allow for a 300 psidirect injection system pressure. Dempster has built pressure reducingpumps for NH3 since 1958 and their pressure reducing B-3 and B-4 pumpsare well known in the fertilizer industry. John Blue/Thurston alsooffers a pressure reducing pump. No beat exchanger or super cooler isused in the direct injection pressure increasing system. E-6:0.1236gallons per stroke, 350 rpm, Range @ 8 mph, 40 to 195 lbs. N @ 52.5 ft.E-6:0.0515 gallons per stroke, 350 mm, Range @ 8 mph, 40 to 195 lbs. N @32.5 ft.

Global Positioning, Variable Rate Technology: The pump can be drivenhydraulically or electrically, fully stroked and in combination with theaccumulator setting can apply rates per acre of NH3 from virtually nilto the maximum rate with within a {fraction (1/4+L )} second. Pressurereducing systems require 14 seconds to respond to a full rate signalchange. Site specific farming can be achieved within 3 feet of travelverse 200 feet of travel with the pressure reducing systems. This is aunique feature of the pressure increasing system.

Prior Art of NH3 Application

Two basic systems are used to apply NH3 to agricultural soils. Bothsystems require a shank type tool to apply the material below the groundline. The method has always been to reduce pressure from the supplytank. The material becomes gaseous dropping below vapor pressure as itleaves the supply tank. NH3 will expand almost 100 times its storedvolume as it is applied to the soil. Both of these systems in widespreaduse are referred to as pressure reducing systems. NH3 has always beenmetered and applied previously to agricultural soils at a pressure belowvapor pressure or tank pressure.

The inventor made an accidental discovery in the first field trials withan electronic pressure reducing system. At the time of the trial thewiring to the pressure-reducing valve had been reverse wired after thepressure reducing valve had been changed. The result was the injectionlines began to melt the frozen ice that bad clung to the lines from theprevious pass. The gallons per acre were applied at such a rate thatmaximum system flow occurred resulting in above freezing temperatureammonia being applied. The applied per acre rate was in excess of 200gallons per acre. Having never forgotten this observation the inventorbegan investigating in later years a means to meter and place liquidammonia with no line freezing. Several approaches were tried.Compressors were even considered to capture the vapor and place it backinto the tank. All approaches appeared unfeasible either due tocomplexity, maintenance or cost. Given more time and an opportunity toinvestigate in a more leisurely manner produced a new discovery ofincreasing pressure above vapor pressure and keeping NH3 temperature atclose to ambient. Three unplanned discoveries resulted; improvedaccuracy, improved rate change response and no line freezing.

The first pressure reducing system uses a throttle or meter to reducepressure. These can be mechanical or electromechanical units thatutilize a pressure reducing manifold. Dempster Industries Inc. ofBeatrice, Nebr., developed the second pressure reducing system. Thissystem uses a pump to reduce pressure below tank pressure and thereforedeliver metered amounts through a discharge valve. As the material eavesthe discharge valve pressure is reduced and the distribution manifoldreceives a mix of liquid and vapor.

The first known placement of NH3 occurred in 1930 at the Delta Branch,Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station, by J. O. Smith. A smallcylinder of compressed anhydrous ammonia was adapted to a one-rowcultivator and was drawn by white mule. This was the first pressurereducing system as reported in The History of the U. S. FertilizerIndustry. Lewis B. Nelson, Tennessee Valley Authority, 1990.

Shell Chemical Co. of Pittsburgh Calif. bad progressed to a point in1934 whereby NH3 could be a commercial operation handled bydistributors. They introduced the NH3 primarily into irrigation water.In order to reduce production costs by producing in higher volumes Shellengineers looked at other uses for crops by injecting NH3 into the soil.Commercial application began in 1942 and spread to the three PacificStates.

Meanwhile in 1944 W. B. Andrews at the Mississippi Experiment Stationbegan developing the principles of NH3 injection. The published resultsand principles were released in 1947. The developed equipment consistedof a tractor; a supply tank or pressure vessel; a flow meter whichmeasured the flow out of the NH3 tank; a knife like applicator shankwith an iron pipe and a rubber tube for injecting the NH3 5 to 6 inchesinto the soil; and covering equipment such as disc hillers to preventgaseous loss from the application channel. The project was support bythe TVA in part from 1944 to 1948. By 1947 the market was ready andseveral pressure reducing flowmeters went into service. Steel was nowavailable to build the pressure vessels, as swords now became plowshareswith the end of the WWII.

By 1955 NH3 accounted for 25% of all the applied nitrogen types. By 1965NH3 accounted for 40% of the nitrogen market. By 1980 60% of the appliednitrogen in the Midwest was NH3. NH3 has evolved into an annual twobillion-dollar industry.

The most popular application system today is the low cost regulatormethod that uses a pressure-reducing valve called a meter to throttlethe flow after the tank and prior to the manifold. For example U.S. Pat.No. 5,170,820, Dec. 15, 1992, Management System For The Application OfAnhydrous Ammonia, James S. Jones describes a new apparatus for applyingNH3. This apparatus utilizes the vapor pressure of the system to propelthe NH3. The rate per acre is regulated by a throttling device. Thissystem uses a pressure reducing multiport manifold. This allows vaporand liquid to pass to individual ports. The manifold pressure atapplication speed is below tank pressure. This system requiresapplicator injection lines of a equal length to each row or band of NH3.This helps to even out the pressure differences between each row. Theresistance to flow is the same for each line due to equal line length.Unfortunately well over 1,600 feet of line is used for a 48 footapplicator.

Another disadvantage of the pressure reducing system is that vapor andliquid is mixed in the flow. This problem is discussed in U.S. Pat. No.4,432,651: Feb. 21, 1984, Apparatus For Mixing Vapor And Liquid PhasesOf Anhydrous Ammonia, David M. McLeod. The pressure reducing manifold isdistributing the NH3 to the individual applicator lines as 90% vapor and10% liquid by volume. The drop In pressure can be between 5 and 30 psigresulting in a temperature drop. The flow is aberrant creating irregularflow patbs in the manifold ports.

As the flow enters the applicator injection lines it surges. Linepulsing or vibration is often observed. Pressure reducing systems haveport to port rate variance, as measured on 12 inch bands, up to fourtimes greater from one port to another.

Wider 30-inch band spacings have measured variances between 30 and 34%.Specially modified Vertical Dam manifolds can achieve variances port toport of 15% on 30 inch band spacing. Considerable research has beencarried out at the University of Nebraska and Iowa State which isreported in the September 1997 again in November 1997, and the September1998 issue of Successful Farming. Rich Fee, Crops and Soils Editorreports results from tests that verify the tremendous variance port toport of pressure reducing systems.

The specially modified pressure reducing Vertical Dam manifolds do notregulate as effectively at very low ground speeds. Up to six individualpressure reducing manifolds are installed on one machine to meter moreeffectively. The observed and measured regulation varies from low speedto normal seeding speed (5 to 7 mph). This is a problem for No-tilldrills and Airseeders since they must travel at very slow speeds (2 to 3mph) when residue levels are high. The residue must be given more timeto weave through the shanks that are applying seed and the NH3. Residueplug ups can occur which require the operator to stop the machine. Theoperator may also elect to loop around and deposit the plugged residueoutside the seeding area. The machine maybe backed up and restartedseveral times. The start and stop requires a large volume recharge ofthe 1,600 feet of applicator line. NH3 is highly compressible and thepressure reducing method will often take 14 to 15 seconds torestabilize.

The applicator injection lines leaving the pressure reducing manifoldports to the soil knives or shanks are normally {fraction (1/2+L )} inchinside diameter lines. These ethyl vinyl acetate lines are large toallow for the continued reduction of pressure from the manifold. The evalines have a maximum 75-psi rating indicating a low pressure reducingsystem. The stored volume of 1,600 feet of line is 16.2 gallons. This is3,763 cubic inches. This is the equivalent to the displacement of twelveV-8 engines. The NH3 expands almost 100 times from the liquid phase tothe vapor phase. Each change in either ground speed: start, or stopresults in a time delay to establish a new equilibrium of pressure andconcentration of liquid and vapor.

NH3 is also used as a commercial refrigerant. It is highly compressible.Pressure reducing NH3 application systems use vapor pressure of thesupply tank to force the material through the supply lines, coolers,flowmeters, regulating valves, manifold and the applicator lines. Eachcomponent reduction in pressure results in boiling, a temperature drop,and errant flow. Only the tank pressure can be used to recompress thevapor phase in the lines.

Compression of NH3 takes valuable time when only tank pressure isavailable. With variable rate, site specific, GPS application systemsthe response is immediate ({fraction (1/4+L )} to 1 second) using liquidand dry fertilizer systems. The pressure reducing aberrant flow NH3systems require about 14 seconds to reach a stabilized new rate. Atnormal seeding speed this can be over 200 feet of travel ({fraction(1/4+L )} acre @ a 50 foot width). This is not desirable and results inNH3 being noncompetitive with other fertilizer choices for sitespecific, variable rate application of this critical input.

Creeper speeds (1 to 2 mph) are often utilized to calibrate theAirseeders and No-till drills. It is observed that the machine willcreep up to 10% of the time. The vapor phase is significantly higher atlow speeds. The liquid phase is discharged in small surging volumes asthe NH3 boils. Pressure reducing systems have an optimum ground speedfor best regulation.

Designs to improve mixing of liquid and vapor phase NH3 with additivematerials have been implemented. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,540 May 15,1984, Apparatus For Mixing A Liquid Additive Compound with Vapor AndLiquid Phases Of Anhydrous Ammonia, David M. McLeod. Thus it has beenproven that pressure reducing systems offer serious problems for mixingof additives. The reduction in pressure causing aberrant flow results inirregular paths of flow.

Manifolds with up to 72 ports for very wide Airseeders on narrow 7.5 to12 inch band spacing have very low concentration of NH3 in each port.Port to port regulation on steep slopes and rolling land is poor sincethe liquid phase is very sensitive to the slope angle of the manifold.The vapor phase is highly compressible. The uphill side of theapplicator receives less material than the downhill side of theapplicator. To overcome some this problem the manifold supply ports aresequenced in alternating hookups. The lines are sized to equal lengths.The uphill side of the manifold then directs half of the flow to theuphill side of the applicator outlets and half of the flow to thedownhill applicator ports. The downhill side of the manifold is plumbedin the same manner of alternating hookups to the uphill and downhillside of the applicator. The uphill side and downhill side of theapplicator still deliver the selected per acre rate. However every otherband will have as much as a four times variance port to port across thefull width of the machine. This has been a temporary solution to apermanent problem. The liquid phase and vapor phase together in the samecavity produce irregular flow paths that are subject to slope angle,inertia, ground speed, band concentration and ambient temperature.

Transitional flow begins as the liquid material leaves the tank. Eachvalve, filter, fitting and supply line length produces compoundingresistance. NH3 is applied at ambient freezing temperatures and pressuredrops do occur prior to the regulating pressure reducing meter. Tankpressure is considered low when the temperature is below 50 degrees F.The cold temperature results in a higher percentage of pressure drops.If the supply side of the system is properly designed from the tank tothe meter this pressure drop can still be significant at freezingambient temperatures. Coolers are used in pressure reducing systems toalleviate some of this problem. Thus true transitional flow begins atthe pressure reducing valve. Wider applicators traveling at higherspeeds need better system designs to handle higher flows. Thetemperature of the NH3 is flow critical to the resistance of the system.

The pressure reducing valves are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,409,Dec. 21, 1982 Fluid Flow Control Device, James S. Jones and in U.S. Pat.No. 4,657,568 Apr. 14, 1987, Apparatus for Volumetrically Controllingthe flow of a Gas and a Liquid Mixture, James S. Jones. Both of theseinventions are dependent on pressure reduction to facilitate meteringand to organize a flow of gas and vapor. Both inventions produce atemperature drop and aberrant flow through a manifold and lines.

Pressure reducing systems use coolers to stabilize the flow of NH3 tothe meter. The coolers are simple heat exchangers that bleed off about2% of the material through the heat exchanger. The bleed off material isdirected into the ground via an extra line. The extra line can bedirected to a soil knife or through the manifold to all the knives.

Continental an active patent holder in the field of NH3 refers to thecooler as an equalizer. Continental states the equalizer is “A simplecompact device which employs refrigeration of ½-21/2% of the liquid inthe system to super cool the remaining 97½-99% of the liquid. Accuratemetering of super cooled liquid ammonia becomes as easy as meteringwater since both behave as true liquids.”

The coolers add expense to the system and can plug when additives arepremixed with the NH3. The cooler is required for electronic pressurereducing systems and mechanical pressure reducing systems too assure anonaberrant flow to the measuring flow meter and the regulating valve.Following the regulating valve and prior to the manifold the NH3 becomesaberrant.

Ravens® Industries states in their ACCU-FLOW ATTACHMENT sales documentform FCD5M497. “Cooler can be disassembled for cleaning and preventivemaintenance.” My invention requires no coolers and thus is simpler.Although coolers can be used with the direct injection system they offerno major economic advantage. The goal is to deliver ambient or warmpressurized liquid NH3 throughout the metering system.

All electronic NH3 metering systems use rate controlled pressurereducing valves in combination with electronic encoded flowmeters.Raven® Industries in their sales pamphlet SCS 440, SPRAYER CONTROLSYSTEMS, show a GPS compatible controller that applies NH3 accurately ona per acre basis using a pressure reducing system. Their pressurereducing Accu-Flow attachment is adaptable to their SCS440 AutomaticSprayer Control system. No reference is made to port to port accuracy ofNH3 or instant response to the variable rate signal. Spraying SystemsCo.® in their catalog 802 SPRAY CONTROL SOLUTIONS, page 25 show theirpressure reducing NH3 system. DICKEY-john™ in their publication PCS™Precision Control System catalog number 11071-0231 shows a pressurereducing system utilizing a cooler to reduce pressure. Injection linefreezing is illustrated in their front cover color picture. MICRO-TRAK®SYSTEMS, Inc. in their publication NH3 KIT shows a pressure reducingheat exchanger. No NH3 application systems whether mechanical orelectromechanical raise pressure above tank pressure.

Another disadvantage of the pressure reducing system is line freezing.The temperature of the applied NH3 drops well below 32 degrees F. Frostbegins to accumulate on the lines. The exterior of the injection linesbecomes heavily laden with frost gathered from the humid atmosphere. Theshank also begins to freeze and ride out of the soil. This is a seriousproblem for No-till drills and Airseeders that simultaneously deep bandNH13 and apply seed with the same opener.

A non-frozen application line indicates a plugged line with a pressurereducing system. A partially plugged line remains frozen on a pressurereducing system. The new pressure increasing direct injection system hasthe unique feature; the lines do not freeze in normal operation. Apartially plugged line will freeze with a pressure increasing system.The NH3 is injected into the soil at temperatures well above 32 degreesF.

Several inventors have developed openers that allow for line freezingand loss of ammonia vapor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,139, Sep. 26, 1978, ColdFlow Liquid Vapor Shoe, Clement J Sauer, discusses the problems ofdispensing liquid and vapor NH3 into the soil. Sauer states “It is thegeneral object of the present invention to provide field plowing andfield fertilizing apparatus which will dispense both ammonia liquid andammonia vapor in a plowed field trench, and which will accomplish thisdispensing action in a way which will encourage retention to the ammoniain the field soil.” Retention of NH3 can be improved if the material isdischarged as a liquid. The vapor is difficult to control and seal inthe soil.

The use of pressure reducing NH3 systems with airseeders has promptedmany large fertilizer companies to publish information about thepeculiar aspects of the NH3 material. Westco Fertilizers, Calgary,Alberta. John Harapiak, Thom Weir in their publication, WestcoGuidelines, Applying NH3 at Seeding, confirm “The conversion of liquidNH3 to a gas results in considerable chilling of any metal parts itcontacts. The line carrying the NH3 must be isolated or insulated fromthe opener to prevent the opener from building with frozen soil. Thisproblem is aggravated by cold soil, high N application rates and wetsoil. Accumulation of frozen soil on the opener increases the width ofthe furrow being created and reduces the ability of the soil to flowaround the opener to seal the NH3 into the soil. The NH3 that escapesfrom the band could cause damage to the germinating seeds or could belost to the atmosphere.”

Harapiak and Weir make further note about the uniform distribution ofNH3. “Uniform distribution of NH3 to all the openers is critical toavoid the risk of germination damage associated with excessive rates ofNH3. Select a non-gravity based distribution system for best results.”

The problem of placing seed and NH3 at time seeding is also complicatedby the use of dry fertilizer materials such ammoniated phosphate andpotassium chloride dry prills. The NH3 as it is chilled collects dew andfrost and requires very special opener designs. These designs disturband fracture the soil and require extra horsepower. Poor seedbeds resultfrom such deep placement. Thus the chance of No-till seed and fertilizersystem is dramatically reduced. It is often not possible to place NH3and dry fertilizer with these improved openers without constantattention by the operator. In very wet cold conditions the NH13 observedvapor is actually water vapor from the air combining with a very smallamount of NH3 (less than 200 PPM). The water vapor collects on the steelopeners and blocking the flow of dry materials. A special opener designis observed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,429, Dec. 17, 1974, FertilizerDispenser Calvin B. Blair.

Fracturing and cracking of the seed bed is further discussed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,140,917, Aug. 19, 1992. Method and Apparatus for FertilizingAgricultural Crops, Guy J. Swanson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,453, May 19,1998 Apparatus for Use in Applying Fertilizer, Lee F. Nikkel. Presentopener designs for placing NH3 must have wide shanks to accommodate thelarge NH13 injection tube. These shanks fracture the seedbed up to 6inches in width. The large NH3 lines make opener design and accuratetargeting of the NH3 difficult.

Deep banding NH3 with dry or liquid ammonium phosphate has specialchemical and physical issues. The freezing action of the pressurereducing NH3 injection line will often freeze liquid orthophosphatelines and stop the injection of the material. The chemical availabilityfor the plant to take up the placed phosphate is also dramaticallyaffected in spring wheat production if the band becomes too concentratedwith NH3. As reported in Bumper Times, January/February, 1991 Volume 16,Guy J. Swanson, author, page 6 states, Producers should switch tonitrate nitrogen if band concentration exceeds 55 lbs of N on 20-inchband spacing. “Hot bands” and even localized in the band hot spots canoccur with pressure reducing systems since the flow into the band is insurges and never consistent. The pressure reducing manifolds also haveband concentration variance as great as tour times. Some band may have50 lbs of placed nitrogen and other bands will have 200 lbs of placednitrogen in the form of NH3. The per acre rate maybe 100 lbs of placednitrogen on the average but half of the crop is starving for nitrogenand the other half is starving for phosphate because of the “Hot bands”or nitrogen interference by the NH3.

A typical gravity based system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,677, Apr.8, 1980, Anhydrous Converter and Implement for Applying Ammonia to theGround, Louis P. Siebert. A gravity based system is also discussed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,060,029, Jan. 17, 1978, Process and Apparatus forProducing and Using Cold Ammonia, John Wilham Hudson. It is alsodiscussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,681, Sep. 7, 1976, Method and Apparatusfor the Adiabatic Expansion of Liquid Anhydrous Ammonia, William L.Kjelgaard and Paul M. Anderson. All the above patents discuss reducingpressure either before or after the distribution manifold. Cold liquid(@-28 degrees F) ammonia and cold liquid vapor is delivered to theopeners. The ammonia delivered is about 85% liquid and 15% vapor. Theground-engaging opener readily freezes and collects frozen mud. Theopener depth is hard to control. The machine pulls harder because of thefrozen shanks.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,677, Apr. 8, 1980, Anhydrous Converter and Implementfor Applying Ammonia to the Ground, Louie P. Siebert is a pressurereducing system invention. Siebert states in his summary that,“Ordinarily, it is not desirable to pressurize the ammonia as it isbeing applied to the soil and thus the vents are provided for relievingthis vapor pressure”. This invention cannot deliver accurate rates portto port or allow for a quick response required for variable rate GPSsystems in use today.

The specific gravity of liquid NH3 is 0.662. The specific gravity of NH3gas is 0.690. If NH3 is applied just below vapor pressure gravity andresistance will affect flow pattern and rate. For NH3 to be appliedaccurately port to port it is required that the NH3 material be appliedas a gas only or as a liquid only. No previous system has utilizedeither approach.

Thus pressure reduction chills the anhydrous ammonia, producingirregular flow patterns and which makes the mix liquid and vapor NH3slope and inertia sensitive. The above systems have been used by theinventor and found to be unsatisfactory in meeting the variable rate,site specific, GPS requirements. Port to port regulation cannot becontrolled in a dynamic field wide application of NH3. Severe freezingof manifolds openers, and lines occurs.

Furthermore the respected inventors in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,339, Feb. 13,1990, Ammonia Flow Divider. David P. Ward and James S. Jones discuss thechallenge of separating liquid from gas in NH3 placement. Their deviceimproves the depth of placement of NH3 by placing the chilled vaporseparately from the chilled liquid ammonia. The result is shallowplacement for sidedressing of growing row crops and placing the vaporaway from the plant to avoid leaf burn. This system complicates thedesign of the machine. The cold temperature of the NH3 freezes openers.The NH3 is not in a pressurized state above vapor pressure to assureaccurate timed placement for GPS, variable rate, site specificapplication.

Pressure reducing systems have errant, boiling flow of liquid and vaporNH3. The port to port variations can be as great as four times. A majorproblem results with wide airseeders since the time period to changeflow rate is related to gravity flow or pressure reduction. The ratechange is not instantaneous since highly compressible vapor and liquidNH3 is in a mixed state not in a pressurized liquid state.

Accuracy of NH3 placement was recently implemented by Continental NH3Products Inc. of Dallas, Tex. Airseeders and No-till drills have up to72 ports to place NH3 in small grain production. Sand centers are commonat 7.5 inch, 10 inch, and 12 inch. The machines can be up to 60 feet inwidth as noted in the Case/Concord sales bulletin AE-170086. Continentalhas developed a Vertical Dam manifold to improve the port to portvariances commonly found on these machines. U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,663,Feb. 28, 1989, Manifold for the Application of Agricultural Ammonia,James S. Jones discusses an advanced manifold which is commerciallyreferred to as the Vertical Dam manifold.

The Vertical Dam manifold is a pressure-reducing manifold as discussedin the patent summary. “A manifold for receiving metered anhydrousammonia that is a variable combination of liquid and vapor routes theammonia to the outlets of an applicator for proper injection into thesoil by continually accelerating the ammonia as it approaches adischarge member having a plurality of discharge ports evenly spaced andretained between a body member and a bonnet member to form a restrictionof equal value for each discharge point.” Even though the manifold isbetter than previous manifold designs as pointed out in the Iowa Statestudy that appears in the September, 97 and September, 98 issue ofSuccessful Farming as reported by Rich Fee, it is complicated system.

All of the previous discussed problems are still apparent. They are: Upto six manifolds are required for a 60 foot Case/Concord Airseeder. Anadditional flow divider is required. An additional 120 feet of 1 inchreinforced eva 150-psi hose is required further increasing thedistribution line displacement to 4,520 cubic inches (20 gallons). Themanifold freezes. The lines freeze supplying the manifold. The linesfreeze that supply the openers. Port to port accuracy is at best 15%.Tremendous time is required to respond to the variable rate GPS signalchange. All lines from the manifold to the knives must be of equallengths. Continental NH3 Products in their Installation Instructions forthe Vertical Dam manifold state, “The higher the manifold pressures (upto 65% of tank pressure) the better. Manifold efficiency peaks at 65% oftank pressure. Surpassing 65% will not produce any better results.”

Of further concern is safety since more components mean more chance offailure. Troubleshooting and maintenance is further complicated sinceall the eva lines must be replaced every five years by law (See State ofIndiana Regulations).

Changing band spacings on the applicator is difficult on the VerticalDam manifold since each manifold and group of manifolds is specificallybuilt for the applicator. The manifold ports cannot be simply blockedoff and accuracy maintained. The flow of liquid and vapor NH3 must besequence through each balanced port.

The second pressure reducing system uses a pressure decreasing pump witha discharge valve originally patented by Dempster Industries Inc.® U.S.Pat. No. 2,968,255, Jan. 17, 1961, Pumps, Herman M. Loeber. Clearly theinventor designed the pump to decrease pressure from the tank supplypressure. The reduced pressure material was metered at ground speed andthus was insensitive to variable ground speed, which often results inhillside farming. The pump was widely applied in the western U.S. andbecame a standard for farmers that needed to constantly change groundspeed. Some of initial testing and evaluation was carried out withunmodified Dempster pumps, however the pumps were not able to elevatepressure above tank due to design of the pump. Many of the pumpcomponents could not meter the material without failure in the pressureincreasing system. Additional components were added and alteredcomponents were installed. The pump predelivery testing procedure wasdeveloped around higher pressures with NH3.

Dempster Industries publishes several owners manual for their pressuredecreasing pumps. In the owner's manual for the model B-4 pump Form 3018the author discusses troubleshooting, High Operating Pressure, and thepossible cause being restricted delivery lines. Obviously this wouldindicate that elevated pressures is considered a defective system.

Another pressure decreasing pump that has been modified to meter NH3 ina pressure decreasing system is the Thurston/John Blue BLU-JET pump. Asstated in their sales bulletin BLU-JET®GD1 200™ it is obvious thepressure decreasing pump reduces pressure since they use a cooler. Nohigh-pressure lines are represented at the manifold. Although the JohnBlue pump could be modified similar to the Dempster pump to elevatepressure it would not be consistent to share valuable developmentinformation with two pump manufactures. A confidential relationshipexists with Dempster and much of Dempsters development work may bepatentable.

In the initial development stage several state and federal plantnutrient and soil scientists along with agricultural engineers werecontacted about their experience and knowledge in raising pressure ofthe NH3 above the tank pressure. All scientists reported back it hadnever been done and could not be done. Further reference was made by onescientist referring to the Spraying Systems Co. catalog 45 A,Agricultural Spray Products Catalog “stating that if raising NH3pressure above tank pressure was doable Spraying Systems would haveoffered it. No reference is made in their catalog nor are orifice chartsavailable for application of NH3. On page 3 of their catalog theydiscuss specific gravity and conversion factors for liquids weighingfrom 7 lbs. per gallon to 14 lbs per gallon. NH3 weighs 6.2 lbs. pergallon. No presentation is ever made that NH3 can be applied onagricultural fields using their flow regulators for liquid fertilizersor soil fumigants, page 40 and 41 or using their solid stream spraynozzles page 43 for banding liquid fertilizers.

Spraying Systems Co. orifice charts indicate application pressures to 60psi. Pressure increasing systems require orifice charts to 300 psi.Special in line range and terminal orifices were developed for thepressure increasing system. The new unique orifice designs were requiredto handle high pressures and also very low volumes of liquid NH3. Thehigh concentration of nitrogen in very narrow bands dictated newmanufacturing techniques not commonly found in the agriculturalmachinery business. The technical manual 998A for the pressureincreasing direct injection system from EXACTRIX GLOBAL SYSTEMS L.L.C.which markets the new method and apparatus shows special orifice chartsand troubleshooting techniques required for the superior system.

Pressure increasing direct injection NH3 systems have not been usedpreviously in the application of NH3 to agricultural crops. A review ofvarious suppliers from the 1998 Parts & Sales Catalog for HorvickManufacturing of Fargo, N.D., pages 161 to 200 indicates severalpressure decreasing systems are available. Squibb-Taylor in theircatalog AA-98, Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) Equipment shows only mechanicalor electromechanical pressure reducing systems available. John Blue intheir Catalog 100 CAT 9/94 page 43-47 show only pressure reducingmanifolds and flow meters for sale.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are benefitsof increasing the pressure above tank pressure to meter NH3 moreaccurately. Safety is improved with a simpler system with componentsthat exceed safety requirements by a minimum factor of 2. No manifold orline freezing occurs in operation since the NH3 is delivered and placedat a pressure above vapor pressure. Critical seed and fertilizer openersdo not freeze and ball up with mud, Germination damage from escaping NH3is reduced. NH3 can be placed closer to the seed. Improved openerdesigns can be used. The pressure increasing injection tubes are 3 timessmaller and yet durable. The terminal expansion orfices can directliquid NH3 to a much smaller area in the soil. Dry fertilizer can bemore easily placed with the direct injection system. Injection linelengths do not need to be cut to equal lengths. Liquid orthophosphatefertilizer can be placed in the direct proximity of the NH3 terminalexpansion orifice without freezing.

The pressure increasing system uses a maximum system pressure of 300psi. The orifices once installed are seldom changed due to a muchbroader rate change. This is ideal for variable rate, site specificfarming since the system handles a much greater dynamic range based onfield speed or band placed rate of NH3.

The placement of NH3 in each band is accomplished with an evenuninterrupted flow. This improves crop uptake of nutrients since eachband is an even exact lineal band of nitrogen fertilizer. Each plantfeeds equally and evenly with a strong competitive effort against weeds.This results in higher crop yields and less loss of nitrogen due toleaching. Nitrogen use efficiency goes up and nitrogen application ratescan be reduced about 10%.

The economic impact and utilization of placed phosphate in the band withNH3 is substantially improved. Spring crops can utilize banded phosphatewith NH3 more efficiently since phosphate uptake by the plant occurswithout the “hot band” effect of irregular and overconcentrated bands ofNH3.

The growing crop can more fully utilize all of the placed pressureincreasing direct injection NH3. Over application of NH3 is critical toprotect the environment. Even exact rates of NH3 improve the environmentby decreasing leaching of nitrate. Additives such as N-serve can be moreeffectively added and mixed to Liquid NH3. This additive further reducesthe chance of mobile nitrate leaching through the soil and into thedrinking water.

Another critical advantage is the quick response to variable rate sitespecific, GPS controllers. Since the material is a noncompressibleliquid with pressure above vapor pressure and lines have up to 15 timesless displacement the applicator is immediately responsive to a ratechange. The pressure increasing direct injection system can respond to alull rate change in less than 3 feet of travel.

The positive displacement pump becomes a flowmeter delivering liquid NH3to the manifold in metered amounts. Thus the pump can be sensed with anencoder and controlled hydraulically with an electronic comparatorcircuit. This eliminates coolers, electronic in line NH3 flow meters,and control valves that reduce pressure. The result is a much simplersystem with very little maintenance and troubleshooting. The operatorcan stay in the tractor seat and cover substantially more acres in aday.

The versatile pressure increasing direct injection manifold can beconnected to lines and openers without regard to sequence arrangement.Since no vapor is present only nonaberrant liquid NH3 follows the pathof least resistance. Applicators with uneven number of openers or ashort odd number of openers can utilized one common multiport manifoldby blocking off any port outlet. Airseeders can be easily changed from anarrow band spacing to a much wider band spacing by disconnecting thelines and capping off the unused ports. Certain crops require wider NH3band spacing such as sunflowers while cereal crops such as wheat requirenarrow NH3 band spacing. The same manifold works for both band spacingswith a minimum of lost time in changing band spacing.

The cost savings are significant and NH3 can be placed shallow or deep.Airseeder operators can add the system to compliment to their dryfertilizer system lowering their cost over dry nitrogen sources by $5.00per acre. They can often double their time between fills. With the onsetof cold weather the applicator will continue to apply NH3 at accuraterates even with low tank pressure. This often results in two to threeweeks of additional fall banding for corn production. The operators canoperate much earlier in the day and extend their application of NH3 intofreezing nights if necessary. This new system assures the long-term useof NH3 because it is safer and more economical to use.

Previous inventors and developers found it obvious to work only withpressure decreasing NH3 designs. The pressure increasing system isunique and novel to the industry. It has never been considered as aneconomic and safe approach to the application of NH3.

Further objects and advantage of my invention will become apparent froma consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my invention which includes a positivedisplacement pump, a minimum displacement manifold, range orifices, anapplication tool with minimum displacement injection lines including aterminal expansion orifice.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the manifold and range orifice.

FIG. 3 shows a terminal expansion orifices installed into an injectionline.

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a terminal expansion orifice.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

20 pump

22 manifold

24 accumulator

26 high-pressure adapters

28 injection lines

30 terminal expansion orifice

32 soil opener

34 range orifices

36 pump inlet port

40 increased pressure outlet port

42 accumulator cylinder

44 accumulator piston

46 accumulator piston seal rings

48 accumulator charging valve

50 terminal expansion steel tube

52 terminal expansion clamp

54 manifold outlet ports

58 manifold internal ports

60 oil

62 manifold inlet

64 liquid NH3

66 nitrogen gas

68 safety shield

70 NH3 liquid stream flow

72 cap plug

74 supply tank or pressure vessel

Summary: In accordance with the present invention of a method and anapparatus for delivering and metering accurately nonaberrant NH3directly into the soil is thereby presented in the form of a pressureincreasing pump. a minimum displacement manifold, and terminal expansionorifices.

Description—FIGS. 1 to 4

A typical embodiment of the system is illustrated in FIG. 1. A pump 20capable of metering NH3 and raising the pressure above the tank 74supply side inlet port pressure of the pump inlet port 36 The pumpoutlet port 40 directs flow above NH3 vapor pressure at normal groundspeed to the manifold inlet 62 of the manifold 22. The liquid NH3 FIG.264 enters the manifold 22 and is directed to the manifold internalports 58. As illustrated in FIG. 2 the manifold outlet ports 54 receivethe material from the manifold inlet ports 58. The high-pressureadapters 26 direct the flow to range orifices 34 of greater or smallerdiameter of the terminal expansion orifices 30 of FIG. 3. The rangeorifices of FIG. 2 item 34 act as a support for the injection lines 28.The injection lines 28 are sized as small as possible to provide minimumstorage of NH3. Each soil opener 32 is mounted with an injection line28. The terminal expansion metering orifice 30 can be larger or smallerthan the range orifice 34. Liquid NH370 is injected into the soil if theterminal expansion orifice 30 is smaller than the range orifice 34.

In certain situations it may be important to meter only with the meterrange orifice FIG. 234 located at the manifold high pressure adapters 26and just prior to entry into the injection lines 28. In certainsituations it maybe important to meter with the range orifice FIG. 134and the terminal expansion orifice FIG. 130 with the same insidediameters. In other situations it may be more important to operate witha larger range orifice FIG. 134 and a smaller metering terminalexpansion orifice FIG. 430 to carry out the final metering and producinga concentrated stream flow on liquid NH370.

Accuracy and port to port variance requires at least one orifice FIG.330 or 34 after the manifold 22. It has been observed that the injectionlines 28 do not freeze if the terminal expansion orifice 30 is sizedslightly larger than the range orifice 34. Thus particulate escapes thatplug the range orifice 34 will not plug the terminal expansion orifices30. It is observed that injection line 28 freezing will occur if therange orifice 34 or the terminal expansion orifice 30 is partiallyplugged. If the injection line 28 or the terminal expansion orifice istotally plugged the operator will immediately notice that this soilopener 32 is not applying NH3. This is the opposite of pressure reducingsystems. Pressure increasing systems of FIG. 1 do not freeze injectionlines 28 or manifolds 22 at normal ground speeds. Operators adjust theirthinking opposite the pressure reducing system. With the directinjection pressure-increasing system frozen manifolds or lines meantrouble.

A compression clamp FIG. 452 is applied around the circumference of theinjection line 28 to secure the terminal expansion orifice 30. Thecompression clamp FIG. 452 can also be applied to terminal expansionsteel tube FIG. 350 to secure the injection line 28 to the tube 50. Theterminal expansion steel tube FIG. 450 is modified to accept a press fitterminal expansion orifice 30. The terminal expansion steel tube 50 canthen be directly mounted and located within very confined spaces of asoil opener 32.

An accumulator 24 is added to the basic system of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Theaccumulator 24 acts to prevent aberrant flow caused by the strokingaction of the pump 20. The piston 46 has two o-ring seals that hold backa charge of nitrogen gas 66. The accumulator cylinder walls 42 arelubricated with compatible oil 60 that covers the area just above thepiston 46. Nitrogen gas 66 is introduced into the accumulator 24 througha valve 48. The pressure of the nitrogen gas 66 can be adjusted to matchthe tank pressure. The accumulator 24 is normally charged with nitrogengas with the accumulator-charging valve 48 at {fraction (2/3+L )} to{fraction (1/2+L )} of tank pressure.

The accumulator 24 closes the internal manifold ports 58 when the pumpoutlet pressure 40 drops below the preset nitrogen gas charge 66. Theaccumulator 24 and it's associated piston 44 act to evacuate the systemFIG. 1 of liquid NH364 when the applicator stops and when the applicatorstarts it allows an immediate flow of NH3. This improves site specificfarming. Very little liquid NH364 can be stored as a liquid or a gaswithin the system at rest. The accumulator 24 helps to prevent a surgingflow of NH3 into the soil through the soil opener 32.

The accumulator FIG. 224 also has a function of flooding the manifold 22with liquid NH364 when NH3 is in transition from gas to a liquid. Thisis referred to as transitional flow, which occurs if pressure isslightly below vapor pressure. This can be easily observed by bringingH20 close to the boiling point. As the waterjust begins to boil thelower specific gravity H20 vapor phase gas rises to the surface. LiquidNH3 is heavier than gas phase NH3. The turbulent NH3 gas tends to riseabove the manifold inlet ports 58 leaving only liquid NH364 to exit theports 54 and 58 in the transitional state of NH3.

The system FIG. 1 delivers nonaberrant NH3 to the manifold outlet ports54. Since the flow of liquid NH364 is not transitional to the vaporphase the high pressure adapters 26 can be plugged off with cap plugsFIG. 372. The remaining manifold outlet ports 54, range orifices 34, andor the terminal expansion orifices 30 will meter the liquid NH364material equally.

A safety shield FIG. 264 covers the injection lines 28. The safetyshield 64 affords protection from ultraviolet light and possible damagefrom falling objects. The operator is protected from poor injection line28 hookups to the high-pressure adapters 26 when the system is startedfollowing service and installation. The design and operating pressuresmeet or exceed the State of Indiana Regulations for safe use of NH3.

I claim:
 1. An anhydrous ammonia application method for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia to soil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) pressurizing anhydrous ammonia received from a source to a variable pressure level within a conduit; (b) conducting the anhydrous ammonia through the conduit to a plurality of terminal outlets, wherein each of the plurality of terminal outlets has a restrictive orifice for maintaining an anhydrous ammonia back-pressure; and (c) discharging the anhydrous ammonia from the plurality of terminal outlets, with discharged liquid anhydrous ammonia contacting the soil.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, step (a) including the step of pumping the anhydrous ammonia with a pump, wherein the pressure of the anhydrous ammonia conducted between the pump and the plurality of terminal outlets is greater than the vapor pressure of the anhydrous ammonia.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pump is a positive displacement pump.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pump is capable of metering the flow of the anhydrous ammonia and controlling the flow rate of the anhydrous ammonia.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, step (a) including the step of pumping the anhydrous ammonia with a pump, wherein the pressure dropped of the anhydrous ammonia conducted between the pump and the plurality of terminal outlets is less than the pressure increase provided by the pump.
 6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step (b), the anhydrous ammonia is in non-aberrant flow.
 7. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of, between steps (a) and (b), conducting the anhydrous ammonia to a manifold, said manifold capable of receiving the anhydrous ammonia through a manifold inlet and discharging the anhydrous ammonia through a plurality of manifold outlets.
 8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in step (c), the anhydrous ammonia flowing through the plurality of terminal outlets is non-chilled liquid anhydrous ammonia.
 9. A method as claimed in claim 1, said pressure level to which the anhydrous ammonia is pressurized depending upon the desired flow rate.
 10. An anhydrous ammonia application method for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia to soil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) pressurizing anhydrous ammonia received from a source; (b) after step (a), conducting the anhydrous ammonia to a manifold, said manifold capable of receiving the anhydrous ammonia through a manifold inlet and discharging the anhydrous ammonia through a plurality of manifold outlets; (c) after step (b), conducting the anhydrous ammonia from each of the manifold outlets to a respective one of a plurality of terminal outlets, wherein each of the terminal outlets has a restrictive orifice for maintaining an anhydrous ammonia back-pressure, wherein an accumulator is connected in fluid-flow communication with the manifold and fluidly interposed between the manifold inlet and the plurality of manifold outlets, said accumulator operable to dampen pressure surges in the anhydrous ammonia flowing through the manifold; and (d) discharging the anhydrous ammonia from the plurality of terminal outlets, with discharged liquid anhydrous ammonia contacting the soil.
 11. An anhydrous ammonia application method for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia to soil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) separating an anhydrous ammonia source flow into multiple discharge flows; (b) dampening any pressure surges of the anhydrous ammonia source flow; (c) maintaining the pressure of the anhydrous ammonia above vapor pressure as the source flow is separated into the discharge flows; and (d) discharging each of the discharge flows, with discharged liquid anhydrous ammonia contacting the soil.
 12. A method as claimed in claim 11, step (a) including the step of conducting the source flow from a pressurized tank of liquid anhydrous ammonia.
 13. A method as claimed in claim 12, step (a) including the step of passing the anhydrous ammonia through a manifold having an inlet and a plurality of outlets.
 14. A method as claimed in claim 13, step (b) including the step of dampening any pressure surges in the manifold.
 15. A method as claimed in claim 11, step (c) including the step of increasing the pressure of the anhydrous ammonia before step (a).
 16. A method as claimed in claim 15, step (c) including the step of variably pumping the source flow.
 17. A method as claimed in claim 15, step (c) including the step of restricting each of the discharge flows.
 18. A method as claimed in claim 17, step (d) including the step of restricting each of the discharge flows as they are discharged.
 19. A method as claimed in claim 18, step (c) including the step of passing each of the discharge flows through a first restrictive orifice, step (d) including the step of passing each of the discharge flows through a second restrictive orifice.
 20. A method as claimed in claim 11, step (c) including the step of restricting each of the discharge flows during step (d).
 21. An anhydrous ammonia application method for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia to soil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) pressurizing an anhydrous ammonia source flow to a variable pressure level; (b) separating the source flow into multiple discharge flows; (c) maintaining the pressure level of the anhydrous ammonia above vapor pressure as the source flow is separated into the discharge flows; and (d) discharging each of the discharge flows, with discharged liquid anhydrous ammonia contacting the soil.
 22. A method as claimed in claim 21, step (b) including the step of passing the anhydrous ammonia through a manifold having an inlet and a plurality of outlets.
 23. A method as claimed in claim 22, step (b) including the step of dampening any pressure surges in the manifold.
 24. A method as claimed in claim 21, step (a) including the step of pumping the source flow.
 25. A method as claimed in claim 21, step (c) including the step of restricting each of the discharge flows.
 26. A method as claimed in claim 25, step (d) including the step of restricting each of the discharge flows as they are discharged.
 27. A method as claimed in claim 26, step (c) including the step of passing each of the discharge flows through a first restrictive orifice, step (d) including the step of passing each of the discharge flows through a second restrictive orifice.
 28. A method as claimed in claim 21, step (c) including the step of restricting each of the discharge flows during step (d).
 29. A method as claimed in claim 21; and (e) maintaining the pressure level of each of the discharge flows above vapor pressure until the discharge flow is discharged.
 30. A method as claimed in claim 21, said pressure level to which the anhydrous ammonia is pressurized depending upon the desired flow rate.
 31. An anhydrous ammonia application method for applying liquid anhydrous ammonia to soil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) pressurizing anhydrous ammonia received from a source to a variable pressure level; (b) conducting the anhydrous ammonia to a plurality of terminal outlets; (c) maintaining the pressure of the anhydrous ammonia above vapor pressure while the anhydrous ammonia is conducted to the plurality of terminal outlets; and (d) discharging the anhydrous ammonia from the plurality of terminal outlets, with discharged liquid anhydrous ammonia contacting the soil.
 32. A method as claimed in claim 31, said pressure level to which the anhydrous ammonia is pressurized depending upon the desired flow rate. 